Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | February 23, 2026 | Worcester Business Journal 17 BUSINESS LEADERS OF THE YEAR F O C U S BY LAURA FINALDI Special to WBJ G iving back is in Sean Rose's DNA. Growing up, he was raised by his mother, who taught Rose and his three siblings the importance of helping others, even when the family was strug- gling financially. His mother would take the kids to give turkey to the homeless, repeating a mantra that stuck with her son: "You think you have it bad? Some- one out there has it worse." In high school, Rose won a com- munity service award for setting up a K-12 recycling program; and this was in the 1990s, way before recycling was cool. at need to serve brought him everywhere from the Worcester City Council to rive Support & Advoca- cy, as its president and CEO. "He's got this great sort of moder- ate attitude, and that's what you need: good, steady leadership at the helm," said Craig Blais, president of the Worcester Business Development Corp. "He possesses all of that." At rive, Rose oversees a staff of 215. e nonprofit serves people with devel- opmental disabilities, and its mission is to give them respect as individuals, self-di- rection in life choices, equality, personal growth, safety, and full community participation. Under Rose's leadership, rive has doubled in size, now serving about 1,200 individuals in 50 communi- ties in Worcester and Middlesex counties. Blais first met Rose during Rose's first bid for District 1 city councilor. He was impressed by Rose's platform, his energy, and desire to get things done in Worcester. e two worked together on economic development projects, con- verting office space at 332 Main St. into a mixed-use building with housing. In his work as a city councillor, Rose struck a great balance, Blais said. He wanted to increase the economic base of the city, but at the same time was very conscious to make sure residents in his district wouldn't have to shoulder the burden, Blais said. "I always felt like I wanted to be in places where it could be more impactful and make a difference," Rose said. Rose joined rive in 2020, on the same day then governor Charlie Baker shut down the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. When he started, the organization was small, 45 years old, and focused on Marlborough. Knowing how fragile everything was during COVID, Rose said he knew rive needed to grow if it was going to survive another 45 years. e turning point came in 2021, when rive was awarded a contract for a Worcester Family Support Center, said Rose. is led to new day pro- grams in Marlborough and Worcester, two new group homes, and the Flourish at rive food pantry, one of the only disability-friendly food pantries in the commonwealth. Rose acts as CEO, CFO, and focuses on marketing and fundraising, and his chief operating officer writes requests for proposals. "Our HR person does a little bit of marketing and a little bit of develop- ment. Everyone is wearing a lot of hats," he said. Rose has worked to invest in his team. Nonprofit staffers oen feel called to serve others; but pay can be low, and hours can be long, which leads to burnout. rive has a diverse, majority minority staff and has created internal systems to help people feel connected, he said. "Oen in our world something bad happens, people will go, 'Sorry you guys had a bad couple of days. Here's some Chinese food.' We have very good pay for what we do. We also have a real intentional focus on growth," he said. "We want them to be CEOs one day. We treat them that way." Rose has doubled rive's impact W Large Nonprofit Business Leader of the Year Sean Rose President & CEO rive Support & Advocacy Locations: Middlesex West, in Marlborough; Worcester County, in Worcester Employees: 215 Annual revenue: $12.5 million His age: 49 PHOTO | MATT WRIGHT "He's got this great sort of moderate attitude, and that's what you need: good, steady leadership at the helm." Craig Blais, president of the Worcester Business Development Corp.

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